To think this is weird!?

[twighlighting]

Name changed for this...I don't know why.

I went round to a friend's for tea. A fairly new friend I might add. We met at a baby group. Anyway she invited us over for lunch (me and dd). As we are eating I saw the cutlery came from a wooden box on the sideboard. I was just making conversation and asked why is it in a box. She then said...it's a canteen...it's what the cutlery came in so I have just kept in there. It's easier than have it in the kitchen and it's silver so I don't want it scratched. Fair enough.(Maybe I'm common I have never heard of a canteen before) anyway
I looked at the name of the cutlery and it was called "Arthur price"

I know I'm being very nosy but I looked it up and the set costs over 2k!! Is it odd for someone to own such expensive cutlery when they live in a 3 bed terrace. I expected that out of mega rich ppl (excuse my ignorance) they have very average jobs etc

I'm don't want to come across as nosy etc but is that Normal? My cutlery cost about 20quid from tesco 🙈

[bushtailadventures]

I have silver(plate) cutlery that we use every day, I used to keep it for Christmas, but that seemed such a waste I got it out and put it in the cutlery drawer. My gran had a canteen that lived on the sideboard, for breakfast and lunch we used the stuff in the kitchen drawer, but for dinner she always used the cutlery from the canteen.

[PrettyLittleFlies]

I have never heard of a "canteen" of cutlery either and I too am a curious person who looks things up constantly. I have learned something today!

I also believe in using the good stuff rather than "saving for best".

And I also loved polishing the silver when I was little 😂

[viques]

Years and years ago I started to collect a cutlery design from Marks and Spencer, iirc you got a free canteen with the first lot to keep it all in. I built it up over the years , buying odd bits in sales etc, then got a text (actually probably a letter it was so long ago), saying they were discontinuing the design, so that was that. It was a faff because you couldn’t put it in the dishwasher, so apart from the soup spoons it rarely got used. I am not even sure where it is to be honest, we now use the Alessi cutlery that Tesco did an offer on a few years ago, really lovely design, and it all goes in the dish washer.

[BlueLobelia]

DH got a canteen of very expensive cutlery from his parents when he got married the first time. (many thousands).

Apparently when he told his parents he was getting divorced the first comment was ' make sure you keep the cutlery'. When we got married some years later his Dad said 'I spent enough the first time round so that cutlery can do for this one too'. (I got on with them quite fine!!)

We rarely use it though because it does not go in the dishwasher. We do have a canteen of Viners though that does.

[GammyLeg]

I think it's weird. But then, I'm not British and have never heard of someone having "best" silver cutlery after about 1965!

[SpeakingFranglais]

My dad died in January, my parents have a beautiful canteen of cutlery. Mum offered it DD for her first house as a) she has no cutlery and b) mum’s sharing out some of dad’s much loved items.

She’s 24 in a two up two down and her cutlery will probably be the most valuable possession she has!

Hers is in a velvet box with silk lining.

[joystir59]

Just been having fun researching silver cutlery, or flatware as it's known in the trade

[CallMeRisley]

“I went round to a friend's for tea A fairly new friend I might add. We met at a baby group. Anyway she invited us over for lunch (me and dd).”

Am I the only one who wants to know whether you went for lunch or tea?
(Northerner reignites lunch vs dinner/ dinner vs tea debate and misses point of thread)

[Wjevtvha]

Surprising but no more weird than googling her cutlery afterwards

[Seesawmummadaw]

I don’t think your friend is the weird one. I hope she reads this.

[onelittlefrog]

It was probably a present from someone.

[Thunderface]

I don't think it's weird that she has expensive cutlery or that you looked it up afterwards.
It's how people learn, isn't it? You came across something outside of your experience and found out more, by googling and by starting a thread.
It's something I would also do.

[ZoomOnToast]

Reminds me of my childhood. We kept our best cutlery laid out in box and it came out when we had guests.

As a child, putting the cutlery away was a much better job than doing the washing up.

[Debetswell]

@Thunderface

I don't think it's weird that she has expensive cutlery or that you looked it up afterwards.
It's how people learn, isn't it? You came across something outside of your experience and found out more, by googling and by starting a thread.
It's something I would also do.

Absolutely. Can't understand pp's saying its weird. Curiosity and intelligence are linked.

[lottiegarbanzo]

You should feel honoured. Silverware doesn't go in the dishwasher, so she'll have had to wash up by hand. You were given the proper guest treatment. Though it may be that, like others, she uses her best stuff every day.

Classic wedding present, possibly passed down.

[Terhou]

None of your beeswax

Beeswax? Are you 10?

[FangsForTheMemory]

Actually I think you’re just envious, OP. I’d love silver cutlery but it’s high maintenance. I use IKEA day to day but I’ve got a canteen of expensive stuff I bought in Heal’s 25 years ago for special occasions.

[tallduckandhandsome]

Why does OP sound envious? She just sounds curious about someone who does something differently, and that’s fine.

[brokenbiscuitsx]

Everyone saying wedding present when OP has already said she isn’t married. RTFT people, it’s only 3 pages! 🙄

[lottiegarbanzo]

You don't think her parents or grandparents might have received it as a wedding gift, then passed it on? Pps have had that thought. We can read and think and post, in quick succession.

[fourminutestosavetheworld]

"Absolutely. Can't understand pp's saying its weird. Curiosity and intelligence are linked."

But she didn't just google 'what is a canteen of cutlery?' did she. She made a mental note of the brand and researched how much her friend spent on it. She was surprised by the price and wonders how her friend could have afforded it. Even after googling and finding out it was a normal thing to have, she came on mn to ask whether we agreed that it was weird that her friend could have afforded it. In short, less curiosity and intelligence to learn something new, more baffling nosiness.

[vampirethriller]

I live in a tiny council flat, and I've got a set of silver plated Sheffield cutlery nearly 100 years old that I use every day, I got it from a charity shop for a fiver.

[Bluesheep8]

@neverknowinglyunreasonable

Quite a lot to fork out for cutlery. Maybe a wedding present or maybe she had to make some cut backs with other spending to afford it.

I love your work 🤣🤣🤣

[CheesyWeez]

I've got a set of cutlery for "best". I do think it's weird and old-fashioned but I like it. It takes up a lot of energy as I get it out for guests and put it back all polished and ready for the next time I have guests and have to tell the family not to use it when we're eating in the back garden as dropping it on the patio damages it.

When I recently inherited some cutlery, I had too much cutlery. I noticed my friend had the same stuff (Arthur Price, actually, but not silver).
So every time I went round (Pre-COVID) to see her I put one or two of my spare knives or forks in her dishwasher.

She hasn't noticed as far as I know.